Yeah I'm exactly like that too. Even just using the top coat "varnish" it looks like a 5-year old has been using a glue-gun. The door mirrors are fantastic plastic anyway so it's only about show to those that want to look at such things, and a layer of dust or dirt hides such things.

As long as metal isn't exposed to rust and something's filling and sealing any gap in "paint" all can be sorted later if it really must. Look on the bright side, the door mirror might get broken off before then. 😁

lol that’s exactly how it is. I was never good at art nor have a steady hand.

Don’t, that’s happened to me before. I’m touching wood here, now you’ve said it, that it doesn’t repeat

Stupid thing is it’s a tiny scratch. And yes I’ll leave it dirty lol

If you look at YouTube videos of repainting, sanding you’ll see they paint on, then rub it down, then more, then rub down. It takes a bit of time and patience. It’s never a case of dabbing paint on and looking even passable!

I know, I should have looked. I think I should have just left it alone anyway lol.

8 hours ago, ffiscool said:

I know, I should have looked. I think I should have just left it alone anyway lol.

It’s all good. Having a backup plan in taking to a bodyshop at least gives you the opportunity to try 👍🏼

10 hours ago, ffiscool said:

I know, I should have looked. I think I should have just left it alone anyway lol.

You live and learn (and hopefully remember what you've learnt) but you had a go and learnt by your experience which will make it more memorable and should help for future occasions. Perhaps you'll take up the issue with a passion and become very good at painting. Or be like me and find paints and glues and protection products are an absolute PITA and headache, find it hard to believe that in the 21st century we have such stuff on cars still (mainly because it's all very cheap stuff for manufacturers). Brake fluid that lifts the paint, paint that doesn't heal itself to some extent, cars are and have on them such ancient technologies. grrrrrr ................ 😄

Edited 4 April4 Apr by nta16
spelling

On 04/04/2025 at 10:19, nta16 said:

You live and learn (and hopefully remember what you've learnt) but you had a go and learnt by your experience which will make it more memorable and should help for future occasions. Perhaps you'll take up the issue with a passion and become very good at painting. Or be like me and find paints and glues and protection products are an absolute PITA and headache, find it hard to believe that in the 21st century we have such stuff on cars still (mainly because it's all very cheap stuff for manufacturers). Brake fluid that lifts the paint, paint that doesn't heal itself to some extent, cars are and have on them such ancient technologies. grrrrrr ................ 😄

Nigel

Some of us prefer ancient technologies 😄

1 hour ago, daveo138 said:

Nigel

Some of us prefer ancient technologies 😄

I don't really care how old or new a technology is if it works well and is reliable. Most might think I'm too stuck in the past, until a couple of years ago my (one and only) everyday car was a 1973 MG Midget for the previous 16 years and that car was very basic (and ancient) even for the early 1970s. Though it didn't need de-coking every 10k-miles or lots of grease points every 1,000 miles (but front suspension every 3-months and just before MoT).

A lot of modern stuff isn't that modern and based on technology from the turn of century prior to Y2K planes dropping out of the sky. Mobile phone can be as bad as when they first became more widely used and TwatNavs are still too closely followed by those thinking like idiots (don't have to wait for the 5 satellites to show now though).

I used to enjoy the radio valves warming up as I turned it on for the Radio 1 Friday Rock (was it Fluff before Tommy Vance or just Tommy Vance on that show, I forget now), it was before Channel 4 started, not that it mattered to me then as we didn't have a telly, I've been listening to The Archers since about then too! 😁

On 06/03/2025 at 12:55, J.R. said:

I have flatted out far too many clear coat scratches over the last few decades, they all showed distinctively white over dark colours like a girlfriends black MX5 and my blue Yeti, the ones on my previous silver Octavias were not so distinct against the light base coat but white nonetheless.

An easy trick is to flood the scratch with water or smear silicone from a rag into the scratch with a pointed implement the white scratch will momentarily or temporarily disappear.

The MK1 eyeball is the best arbiter of the depth of the scratch and whether its gone through the very thick clear coat and through the base coat underneath to the primer or bare metal.

My input to this thread was to ensure that the OP did not follow bad advice to touch in a clear coat scratch (and its up to him to decide if it is) with "a body paint"

As usual, @J.R. is correct.

I thought it had been agreed that it could only be ascertained by pictures? None were provided so the conclusion that anyone is right or wrong? 🤷🏻‍♂️